CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Officers on patrol in the Red Hook area saw a man named Niah Henry make several drug transactions, and detained him and searched his vehicle, court records show.
Officers found more than $1,000 cash in Henry’s pocket and discovered a total of 5.22 ounces of marijuana and 1.56 ounces of powder and crack cocaine in the vehicle, according to the probable cause fact sheet filed by police.
Police had previously arrested Henry at the same location on January 24 and charged him with possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, and found that he was in violation of the terms of release following his earlier arrest, according to the fact sheet.
VIPD mug shot of Niah Henry on St. Thomas
Henry became combative and aggressive with officers during his arrest, according to the fact sheet, and told police that, “I gonna bail out and be right back there selling drugs because that’s how I make my living and feed my children.”
Henry was held without bail at the St. Thomas jail, where police visited him again on Sunday and arrested him on a February 28 domestic violence warrant.
Henry was charged with several additional crimes related to the separate incident, including first-degree assault, use of a dangerous weapon, brandishing a weapon, and reckless endangerment, according to court records. The circumstances of that case have not been made public.
Virgin Islands Police arrested Jahmarley Parris at King Airport recently and charged him with possession of an unlicensed firearm and failure to declare a firearm.
VIPD mug shot of Jahmarley Parris on St. Thomas
The case began when U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers received information “that there were several persons of interest inbound to St. Thomas on a Spirit Airlines flight,” who had been “flagged for various criminal activities, to include the importation of firearms for sale in the US Virgin Islands,” according to a probable cause fact sheet filed by Virgin Islands Police.
Parris was among those flagged as a person of interest, and officers inspected his luggage and found a locked gun case, “which had been declared at the point of origin, Orlando International Airport,” according to the fact sheet.
Officers allowed the suitcase to proceed to the baggage claim area, where Parris retrieved it and began to exit, “bypassing the VIPD kiosk where Parris was to declare his possession of a firearm before entering the territory,” according to the fact sheet.
Officers intercepted Parris and detained him for a secondary search.
Inside the gun case, investigators found two Glock firearms, a 9mm and a .40 caliber, and three magazines, according to the fact sheet.
Police confirmed that Parris is not licensed to carry guns in the Virgin Islands, and placed him under arrest. A bail amount was not listed in the fact sheet.
In a separate incident, members of the Special Operations Bureau were conducting traffic enforcement on Emile Francis Memorial Drive recently when they pulled over a vehicle for having excessive front windshield tint.
Police said they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and the driver, Ronald Smith, 39, was openly smoking a joint, according to a probable cause fact sheet filed by police.
VIPD mugshot of Ronald A. Smith, 39, of St. Thomas.
Smith said he thought marijuana is now legal in the territory, and “I purchased it from a legal dispensary in Red Hook,” but the officers explained “that there was no legal dispensary on the island for marijuana,” according to the fact sheet.
In January, Governor Albert Bryan signed the law legalizing sacramental, medical, and recreational cannabis use for adults age 21 and over. But it won’t actually be implemented until the government creates rules and regulations governing cannabis cultivation and sale, which has yet to happen.
Officers also explained that smoking marijuana while driving is always prohibited, and is treated the same as impairment due to alcohol. Police also told Smith that the smell of marijuana gives officers probable cause to conduct a search of a vehicle.
During the search, police found marijuana packaged for sale, and a backpack with a combination lock that contained a hard, heavy object, according to the fact sheet.
Smith told officers they could not open the bag, but “I explained to Mr. Smith that everything in the vehicle was subject to search for the odor of marijuana,” according to the fact sheet.
Smith eventually admitted to police that there was a gun and other drugs in the bag, and he was afraid for his life because he was delivering the bag to someone else, according to the fact sheet.
Smith cooperated with investigators and unlocked the bag. Inside, police found a Taurus 40 caliber firearm with an obliterated serial number, according to the fact sheet.
In an effort to keep Smith and the police officers safe, officers had the vehicle towed to a secure location for a more thorough search.
Inside, police found a variety of drugs and paraphernalia, including methamphetamine pills, cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and marijuana. Police also found more than $1,900 in cash, according to the fact sheet.
Police arrested Smith and charged him with constructive possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a church, possession of illegal ammunition, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a church, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $150,000.